The Death of Macho

Foreign Policy ^ | June 22, 2009 | Reihan Salam

[Marc Tumin]

The era of male dominance is coming to an end.

Seriously.

For years, the world has been witnessing a quiet but monumental shift of power from men to women. Today, the Great Recession has turned what was an evolutionary shift into a revolutionary one. The consequence will be not only a mortal blow to the macho men’s club called finance capitalism that got the world into the current economic catastrophe; it will be a collective crisis for millions and millions of working men around the globe.

The death throes of macho are easy to find if you know where to look. Consider, to start, the almost unbelievably disproportionate impact that the current crisis is having on men—so much so that the recession is now known to some economists and the more plugged-in corners of the blogosphere as the “he-cession.” More than 80 percent of job losses in the United States since November have fallen on men, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. And the numbers are broadly similar in Europe, adding up to about 7 million more out-of-work men than before the recession just in the United States and Europe as economic sectors traditionally dominated by men (construction and heavy manufacturing) decline further and faster than those traditionally dominated by women (public-sector employment, healthcare, and education). All told, by the end of 2009, the global recession is expected to put as many as 28 million men out of work worldwide.

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Related:

Good Riddance By Valerie Hudson | June 22, 2009 http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2009/06/19/good_riddance

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Things will only get worse for men as the recession adds to the pain globalization was already causing. Between 28 and 42 million more jobs in the United States are at risk for outsourcing…

[ReneeLynn]

How is this the ‘death of macho’? Men are losing jobs, not their manliness.

I do hope Sarah puts Barry out of a job though.

[wardaddy]

BS. Total made up factoid.

Hardly, in fact Google has scores of articles about this "made up factoid". Second source (Economix) claims Men have lost 83.1% of the jobs since the recession began. Here's one from Foriegn Policy:

The death throes of macho are easy to find if you know where to look. Consider, to start, the almost unbelievably disproportionate impact that the current crisis is having on men—so much so that the recession is now known to some economists and the more plugged-in corners of the blogosphere as the “he-cession.” More than 80 percent of job losses in the United States since November have fallen on men, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. And the numbers are broadly similar in Europe, adding up to about 7 million more out-of-work men than before the recession just in the United States and Europe as economic sectors traditionally dominated by men (construction and heavy manufacturing) decline further and faster than those traditionally dominated by women (public-sector employment, healthcare, and education). All told, by the end of 2009, the global recession is expected to put as many as 28 million men out of work worldwide.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics has two different measures for the job market. (Alan B. Krueger, one of Economix’s Daily Economists and a former chief economist at the Labor Department, explained some of the differences here.) For now let’s look at nonfarm payrolls. As of December, the last month for which we have a male/female jobs breakdown for this measure, men accounted for 83.1 percent of the lost jobs.

[Oldpuppymax]

If only women had the SENSE of men. It was WOMEN who put Hussein in the White House. ‘Nuff said.

[wardaddy]

The claim mis quite true. I’m not sure why but I’ll guess. Men are more manufacturing and construction employed and those sectors have been hit hardest.

Women may be more services employed which has been hit less.

There are literally reams of evidence out there that men have lost most of these jobs.

Why some of these posters wish to make it a women’s parity of job loss crusade is baffling but they could take the time to research it before spouting off...which is precisely what I did because frankly I did not know but it made me curious.

[wardaddy]

White married women with children and white Christian women voted aginst Bro about like their peers did.

Outside of that demographic then it’s over.

Which is our problem in this nation actually.

[MNJohnnie]

Here's one from Foriegn Policy:

You are quoting the same source cited in the article as proof the fact is real which does not provide any verifiable data to fact check the source. That is usual circular argument typical of most Internet factoids. Your are arguing that because everyone cites this same source the source must be factual. Not at all sound methodology

One person claims something, with NO background data to verify it then, then everyone else cites each other as "proof" of the fact veracity.

Think for even a heart beat here. The number cited "83.1%" is entirely too large to be intellectually credible. It is one of those made up numbers where some clown with a political axe to grind, using the most suspicious computer model based on wild assumptions to verify their pet dogma.

The assumption here, it seems, is that most manufacturing and construction jobs are 100% male dominated. WRONG assumption. What about all the female dominated administrative staff that works at those construction firms and industrial concerns? Do they still have their jobs?

I went to the supposed source. Guess what BLS doesn't have any documents on Unemployment by Gender. They apparently do not track it. So how is it the supposed source quoted here does have any such data available to cooberate this claim?

[MNJohnnie]

There are literally reams of evidence out there that men have lost most of these jobs.

No there isn't. There is a claim being made citing a “source” that cannot be fact checked to verify. However, current unemployment statics show unemployment levels Male vrs females approximately equal. IF the claim made here WERE accurate, you should see vastly more females then males employed. We do not. Why not?

http://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.t01.htm

[wardaddy]

There is not only one claim that says that. There are scores on Google. Type it in and see for yourself.

All you did was link a BLS stat table with no synopsis or consolidation.....it says nothing, just table after table.the same one we can all look up yet if you type in “More than 80 percent of job losses in the United States since November have fallen on men, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics” or “More Men than Women losing jobs in recession” and you will get this:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/14/business/economy/14charts.html

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2009/07/27/midday1/

http://www2.wsav.com/sav/news/consumer/article/georgia_labor_commissioner_says_more_men_are_hurting_in_the_recession/28490/

http://www.allbusiness.com/labor-employment/working-hours-patterns-part/12159816-1.html

http://www.usatoday.com/money/economy/employment/2009-07-29-oldermales_N.htm

http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=11&articleid=20090707_12_A11_Moreme41378

http://www.edawood.com/ladiesfund/blog/?p=133

http://www.boston.com/jobs/news/articles/2008/12/05/losing_jobs_in_unequal_numbers/

http://www.usatoday.com/money/economy/2009-01-11-unemployment-rate-sexes_N.htm

http://stayathomedads.about.com/b/2009/01/14/men-losing-jobs-at-faster-rate-than-women.htm

http://finance.yahoo.com/career-work/article/105040/The-Slump:-It’s-a-Guy-Thing

http://business.theatlantic.com/2009/07/its_not_just_a_recession_its_a_mancession.php

http://www.nydailynews.com/money/2009/01/12/2009-01-12_men_losing_jobs_at_a_higher_rate_than_wo-5.html

http://www.onlineathens.com/stories/072209/new_467368011.shtml

http://media.www.dailytoreador.com/media/storage/paper870/news/2009/02/25/LaVida/Recession.Could.Help.Women.Surpass.Men.In.Workforce-3646513.shtml

You made the claim that this author...one whom I have little in common with btw...had just made this up. He most certainly did not. If you can find articles to bolster your claim that women are losing jobs in the United States at the same rate as men then by all means post them. I guess by your logic all of these folks just made this up?

[wardaddy]

Guess what BLS doesn't have any documents on Unemployment by Gender.

they quit recording by gender in 2004 but started again with new format later , your own link above shows figures for men and women dated trailing YTD 7/09

and since you got me looking, this is not unusual...men are usually on the job loss end at a rate of 3-1 over women historically and I think it is for the reasons I mentioned above....women are in less economic downturn sectors..I believe this recession might very well put women ahead numbers wise in the workforce but they don't count military or farm....that I could find. Outside those two sectors it's close....52-48 already.

[Daffynition]

I will have to ask my wife if power is shifting from men to women and get back to you.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Now you've done it! I just spewed all over my monitor!

[wombtotomb]

Dude, you are already there. From Texas and a conservative. You win.

[wombtotomb]

Sending shivers down my spine. The only ones left standing will be the real men, with their women by their sides.

It takes a STRONG woman not to be afraid that her man is her protector. That she was ordained to submit to his authority.

Failure of todays men AND women not to understand what that means, how it works, and, most importantly, WHY it works. I hardly think there were more womanly women or manly men in the pioneer days and the early days of this country. Men and women both understood their roles, and lived them.

I personally think there are way more abuses of women today by clueless men who think women are slaves than there ever was back then. Look at the sex slaves, right here in America for goodness sake. How about the rapes and domestic violence. All you have to do is watch any talk show and see men who come on thinking their women belong to them as slaves do.

No siree. Wussifying the men today has challenged their very manhood, and without proper understanding, they are doing all the wrong things to try and exert their “authority”. I am so glad I found one who isn’t that way, and more importantly, I raised 3 who aren’t either.....

[MNJohnnie]

Simple rule of thumb in analyzing statistics. Life is a bell curve, most of it happens in the middle. When you see someone throwing around statistic that go way out to one extreme or another, they are most probably lying. When you see a statistic that claims "83.1 of X" you can figure they either have made up a complete meaningless factoid that sounds vague and alarming or that they simply made the number up.

Claiming, out of a work force that is roughly 50-50 men to women that 83% of the jobs lost in the last 9 month came wholly from one group is one of those statics you can look at and say "total BS". It is not reflected anywhere in the hard data. They simply made an assumption and started screaming it. The fact is, in the modern work force, NO "industry" is wholly male or female dominated. It another made up "Fact" spewed forth by the same people who bring you pseudo sciences like "Women Studies"

[Centurion2000]

Rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated.

[wardaddy]

show me an article that supports your claim that the plethora of news articles I linked from varied sources are all lying.

i have no agenda on this one and am very anti-women’s studies sorts of stuff but I simply typed in the claim and gots at least 40 magazine and newspaper articles claiming that men are around 80% of the layoffs in this recession and that historically more men than women lose jobs in downturns for several obvious reasons

just simply find some source that supports your notion and we can compare that against the evidence I posted from just 5 minutes gleaning

here..WTH, I will do it for you:

for google.....”more women than men laid off in US recession”

hit search button...hmmmmm.

nothing really....just an article from NYT still talking about the 80% figure and how women are suffering more since they are now the breadwinner...lol...but I thought that was what fembots wanted....let me know if you find something to bolster your notion.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/06/business/06women.html

[SaraJohnson]

This is the Left’s pansy nonsense. Now the military is metrosexual. Listen, if women ever dominated the military, it would be ten times more violent (and take on an air of fascism) than it is under the leadership of majoirty male. Feminists...that is your clue.

[therut]

As a woman I HOPE NOT. WE women are petty and backstabbing in general. I had much rather work for a no nonsense man.

[aquila48]

“Wussifying the men today has challenged their very manhood, and without proper understanding, they are doing all the wrong things to try and exert their “authority”. I am so glad I found one who isn’t that way, and more importantly, I raised 3 who aren’t either.....”

Congratulations on your wise choice... and thanks for adding 3 men to the country.

[ansel12]

In Native American Tribes women ruled. Yes the women. They had a male chief, but who chose them? The women of course.

Of the many hundreds of tribes what percentage used that system?